Protective
by sterolineotpforever
Summary: Tyler and Caroline are fighting, Stefan intevenes, protecting her. Tyler calls out Stefan on not alway being there for Caroline, and they share a few stories from their past.


**NO 22 AS REQUESTED BY ANONYMOUS -** _Anonymous said:_ _Can you write a Drabble on how Stefan hates Tyler (tyler never left) and how he's always protecting Caroline from him. Thanks_

 **Protective**

Once Stefan's memories had returned he remembered just why he hated Tyler Lockwood so much, besides the animosity he had shown him from their very first meeting, it was the way he treated Caroline, the way he totally disregarded her feelings and didn't respect her. The pure loathing he felt towards the worthless hybrid wasn't just because without the memories of Caroline and Tyler's relationship he could clearly see just what a dick to her he truly was, which is why amnesia him had taken great pleasure in stealing the first dance with Caroline away from her boyfriend. In fact the completely blank version of him had taken great pleasure just being near Caroline, and stealing her away from Tyler at every opportunity he got.

Those types of thoughts and feelings didn't make him as uncomfortable as he thought they would. Caroline was a wonderful, kind, happy person, her bright personality shone light into even the darkest of souls, and without the burden of loving Elena, was it any wonder that he had started to fall for her. Though the more he felt for her the stronger the urge to protect her was, and witnessing many fights between the two he always stepped in and told Tyler to back off before he went ripper and tore his head off. That wasn't an empty threat either, he really would have killed him if he so much as laid a finger on her.

Stefan couldn't help but smile. Even losing everything that made him _him,_ and being played by Elena and Damon and their inability to just tell him the truth, the only person he could count on for, well, _everything_ was Caroline Forbes, his best friend. And of course she was so much more beautiful in person because a single photograph could not capture the very essence that made her _her;_ kind, compassionate, loving, loyal, dependable, and one of the best friends he's ever had. She was the only one who tried to remind him of who he was instead of who he was to her, and he kinda loved her for it.

* * *

Stefan was walking down the hallway to Caroline's dorm when he heard the shouting. Tyler was shouting at Caroline, for what he didn't know and he didn't care, his only concern was the safety of his best friend. He couldn't go through another werewolf bite again, because now that Klaus was in New Orleans there was no way for him and his precious blood to reach them in time. It was only by the miracle and ridiculousness of Caroline sending Klaus an invitation to her graduation and the absurdity that he actually came that saved his brother, and thank god he did or else Damon would be dead; or Alaric would have shoved the cure down his brother's throat to heal him, and in fifty or sixty years he would lose his brother forever after a long human life – Stefan himself would have protected him for the rest of his human days – but thank god that never happened.

He pushed open Caroline's door to see Tyler growling in her face, his stance hostile. He didn't care what the fight was about, he would not risk Caroline's safety so he vamped over and pushed Tyler away from her and stood protectively in front of her.

"What the hell, man?" Tyler brushed himself off and growled at Stefan.

Stefan glared at Tyler, eyeing him with barely concealed rage, "Don't ever get that close to her again or I will have to retaliate."

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Is this leftover bullshit from amnesia you?"

"No." Stefan growled, his eyes reddening and his veins pulsing, "This is me protecting my best friend from the ass hole she chooses to stay with."

Tyler balled his fists, barely hanging on to his control and resisting the urge to fly at Stefan, "How about you tell me what you really think?"

Stefan smirked, "I don't think you want to know."

Caroline saw the vein pulsing in Tyler's forehead and she knew he was about to explode, and she didn't want herself or Stefan to suffer from the effects of a werewolf bite, especially when she wasn't a hundred percent sure Klaus would come when she called any more, after all they were done. She placed her hand on Stefan's forearm, peaked her head over his shoulder and tried to calm Tyler, "I think you should just go, Tyler."

Tyler's eyes were fixed on Caroline's hand on Stefan, the touch was so easy between them with absolutely no hesitation, just like Stefan didn't even take a moment before protecting Caroline. It only made his anger worse, "I will not be tossed aside like some dog!"

Stefan tried to hide his smirk, Tyler's analogy amusing to him as he _was_ a dog, he was part werewolf after all.

"I just want you to calm down, Tyler!" Caroline all but yelled back, sick of having this same argument. Tyler would lose his temper, say things he may or may not mean, and she would give him space until he came crawling back begging for her forgiveness. It was not the relationship that it was in the beginning, she didn't love him enough to want to stay with him and his ever growing temper. She never wanted to admit this to anyone, especially not Stefan with how protective he was over her, but Tyler would sometimes scare her, and she had thought, albeit briefly, that he would actually bite her.

"Then stop taking his side over mine!" Tyler shouted aggressively taking a step toward them, sneering as Stefan took a step closer to Caroline, pressing his back against her chest, as her fingers clutched his arm, "Stop looking at me like I'm going to bite you! And stop acting like Stefan is your protector." His eyes bore into Caroline's, "Where was he when your dad tortured you, huh? Because I was the one that saved you. Where was your supposed best friend when your dad died? Nowhere in sight because it was me, Matt, and Elena that comforted you. Where was he when Klaus had me bite you?" He pretended to think before clicking his fingers, "Oh, that's right! He was too busy trying to drive Elena off a bridge to probably even care what happened to you."

Stefan turned his head to look into Caroline's tearful gaze, searching them for a hint of doubt, asking for her permission to reveal a long held secret by the two of them. She nodded once, her hand travelling down his arm to slide through his fingers, needing his reassurance just as much as he needed hers. Stefan glanced down at their joined hands, smiling slightly before facing Tyler, "That's not entirely accurate."

Stefan started to tell Tyler what happened the night Caroline was saved after being tortured by her dad.

* * *

 _Caroline had cried herself to sleep in Tyler's arms, trying to forget about everything her dad had done to her. It broke her heart that her own father hated what she was so much that he would try and torture the blood lust out of her - which was impossible - so that he didn't have to kill her. How come that was even an option? When her mom found out, yeah she couldn't handle it at first, and had Matt spy on her, and then ignored her, but eventually she had come around enough that she saved Caroline from her own father._

 _A tear slipped down her cheek, and unable to sit still any longer she slipped out from Tyler's embrace, grabbed her phone and silently made her way downstairs and out into the night air. God she needed some air._

 _Her cell rang. She looked at it suspiciously for a moment, a private number on the display, who would be calling her at four in the morning? She clicked answer and spoke, "Hello?"_

 _There was silence on the other line, just the hint of heavy breathing._

 _Caroline frowned at her cell and almost growled, "Look, whoever this is, I've had a really **really** horrible day, week, month, god, even year, and if you are trying to piss me off then you have succeeded and I will take out my bad mood on whoever this is."_

 _A choked laugh was heard on the other end, almost like a sob._

 _Caroline's heart raced, she knew that laugh, she had dreamt about said owner for longer than she cared to admit. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she clutched the cellphone in her hand tightly and whispered hopefully, "Stefan?"_

 _A shuddering breath was heard._

" _Stefan! Oh my god!" Her voice shook from the overwhelming urge to break down in tears, Stefan was on the phone with her, and that meant that he was still alive, probably the ripper, but somewhere inside of him he was still her Stefan, "Are you okay? What a stupid question, of course you're not okay, your Klaus' slave. Who would be okay having to spend their time with him?"_

 _Stefan let out a bark of laughter, a tear running down his cheek, and he finally spoke, "God, I've missed you, Caroline."_

 _Caroline swallowed down the thousand questions she wanted to ask him, primarily when was he coming home because he wasn't just on a trip, he was enslaved for the next ten years and the man who would return would not be her Stefan anymore. She didn't care, she was a vampire she had time, and she would welcome him back with open arms. Pushing back her tears she whispered back, "I've missed you too, Stefan."_

 _Stefan slammed his eyes shut, trying to prevent more tears from escaping, but it was useless, they slipped down his cheeks regardless of his wishes._

 _Caroline gazed off into the night, her own tears pouring down her face, Stefan's obvious pain adding to her own heartbreak. He must feel so alone, and like if he ever makes it back to them that they would move on and he would have nothing left. She would put his mind at ease, "I am never going to abandon you, Stefan. Whenever you come home, whichever version of you is in control, know that you will always have me." She smiled tearfully before adding, "You are my best friend, Stefan Salvatore, and you will be for the rest of our eternity together."_

 _Stefan smiled, his overflowing eyes gazing at Caroline from his hiding spot behind a tree in one of her neighbours garden. He just needed to see her face, especially after what he had learned about what had happened to her, "You're my best friend too, Caroline Forbes." He promptly hung up._

 _Caroline stared at her cell, tears sliding down her cheeks, afraid for her best friend being left alone with a monster like Klaus. She put her phone away and couldn't help but sigh, "Please be safe, Stefan."_

" _I'll try." Stefan spoke from next to Caroline. He really shouldn't see her but he couldn't resist knowing that she was upset and had been tortured again. He had to bury the urge to sink his teeth into her fathers carotid artery and drain him until his head popped off, the ripper so close to the surface that he really would do that, but he knew despite what her father had done to her Caroline would never forgive him if he killed her father._

 _Caroline spun around, her eyes wide in shock at seeing Stefan right next to her, she threw her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder._

 _Stefan buried his face in her golden strands, his arm curling around her waist the other stroking along her back. He breathed her in, as not seeing her for months he had truly missed her._

" _Oh god..." Caroline whimpered, her arms holding him so tight against her, relieved that her best friend was near her again, and sad because she knew he would have to go again, "I wish I could make you stay. I **need** you, Stefan."_

" _I would if I could." Stefan whispered into the skin of her neck._

" _I know." Caroline just savoured the feel of Stefan in her arms before he would leave her for god knows how long._

 _Stefan pulled back and cradled Caroline's face in his palms, his concerned gaze penetrating with its intenseness, "Please tell me you'll be okay after what you've been through."_

 _Caroline creased her brow in confusion, "How did you know?"_

" _Klaus has spies, and I ask for information on all of you." Stefan lowered his head to rest against hers, his fingers stroking her cheeks, "Don't tell me what he did to you as I am liable to get revenge on your behalf." He brushed his mouth across her cheek and pleaded, "Tell me you're okay."_

 _Caroline took a shuddering breath, "I will be."_

" _Good." Stefan's eyes closed in relief, "That's good." His hands slid into her hair and he pulled her forward to place a sweet kiss on her lips._

 _Caroline raised her hand to cup the back of his neck as they kissed, not moving their mouths just breathing in each other until they would meet again. She wanted to cry at that but she wouldn't, she didn't want Stefan to feel anymore guilt than he already does._

 _Stefan smiled as he pulled away, indulging his need to stare into her beautiful eyes, combing his fingers through her hair, before reluctantly releasing her, "Goodbye, Caroline."_

" _Goodbye, Stefan." Caroline's voice was barely even a whisper, as she held in the cry of stay that desperately wanting to leave her lips. But she wouldn't, as she took his visit as a sign of hope that one day he would come back to her, to all of them._

 _Stefan smiled, stepped away from her and vamped away._

 _Caroline stayed out until the night sky made way for the orange of dawn. She would never tell anyone about Stefan's visit. Not Elena, not Tyler, not Damon, not even Bonnie, she kept it to herself all these years._

* * *

"You... came to see Care?" Tyler asked, in shock from what he'd just learnt from his girlfriend and Stefan. In the almost two years they had been together she had never told him about that.

"I heard that she'd been tortured. I couldn't not look in on her." Stefan glanced over at Caroline, a slight smile on his face, "Even if I risked the wrath of Klaus to do that."

"He didn't..." Caroline held her breath, afraid that Klaus had hurt Stefan for visiting her.

Stefan shook his head, "I'm sure he knew that I visited you, but he never said anything about it."

"Good." Caroline breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I'll give you that one. You risked Klaus' wrath to make sure Care was alright." Tyler got back to the conversation they were having, "But what about when I bit her?"

Stefan looked down at his feet, ashamed at his actions at the time.

* * *

 _Stefan had tried to drive Elena off Wickery Bridge to get Klaus to blink, and it had worked, but he didn't know just what Klaus would do in retaliation. He had Tyler bite Caroline, she was dying, and the only cure was Klaus' blood. He knew he chose Caroline to hurt him because of that little unplanned trip to Mystic Falls to see her._

 _He raced to Caroline's, jumping up to the window, preparing himself for the sight he would see when he looked in, bracing for the pain seeing her dying would cause him. Only that wasn't the sight that greeted him. Caroline was asleep, her face paler than normal, her hair messy, but there was no festering wound on her neck, no sign of her dying from a werewolf bite._

 _Stefan pushed open the window and sneaked inside. He walked over to the bed and saw a black jewellery case on the side, a white ribbon wrapped around it, and a card with the words **From Klaus** in elegant script. He clenched his jaw, not wanting Klaus anywhere near Caroline. If he had been here to leave her a gift, then that meant that he must have healed Caroline's bite, as you didn't get something for someone who would be dead by morning. He almost sagged in relief. She was going to be okay, his recklessness hadn't got her killed._

 _Caroline stirred on the bed, turning to her side and hugging her pillow against her. She opened sleepy eyes and spied Stefan standing at the end of her bed, "Stefan?"_

" _Hey." Stefan sat next to her on the edge of her bed, his fingers pushing the hair away from her neck as he took in her smooth perfect unbitten neck._

 _Caroline was still under the effect of the werewolf venom and the cure running through her veins so she was slightly on the groggy side. She smiled dreamily up at Stefan and murmured, "You are the second man tonight in my bed. I'm honoured."_

 _Stefan chuckled, stroking her hair away from her face, "Then you are delusional if you are honoured to have Klaus anywhere near your bed."_

 _Caroline giggled, "I missed you."_

" _And I've missed you." Stefan swallowed, he had been such a bad friend to her, he said he was her best friend but since visiting her after her dad tortured her he hadn't approached her at all since he'd been back, "I'm sorry..."_

" _For being the worst best friend ever?" Caroline helpfully supplied._

" _Yes, that, and I'm sure an ass in there somewhere." Stefan replied, unable to not smile at the adorableness of his best friend._

" _Totally." Caroline nodded her head, agreeing with Stefan. She reached out and tangled her fingers around his, "But I still missed you, ass or not."_

 _Stefan looked down at their joined hands, feeling a calmness wash over him that he hadn't felt since before he made the deal with Klaus for his brother's life and spent a summer in ripper hell. He tightened his hold around her fingers, leant down and brushed a kiss across her mouth, "Happy birthday, Caroline."_

 _Caroline smiled up at Stefan, "Thank you." She tugged on his hand and lifted her covers, "Stay with me until I fall asleep."_

 _Stefan should really go, but the opportunity to be close to Caroline after he had pushed her aside had him moving before he even realized it. He laid next to her, Caroline placing her head on his chest, his arms coming round to encircle her in his protective embrace. He listened to her breathing even out, stayed in her arms for as long as he dared before slipping out of her bed, and placing another tender kiss on her mouth. Then he left, hope in his heart that they would be alright and she would still be his best friend when he emerged from his vendetta with Klaus._

 _Caroline woke up to a diamond bracelet from Klaus, and a lingering warmth in her chest from Stefan's late night visit._

* * *

Stefan smiled at Caroline, so happy that they could get back to the friendship they once had, and if he was honest, an even better and solid friendship than before.

Tyler grasped desperately at his last straw, "And her dad dying were you somehow there too."

"Not exactly." Stefan didn't even bother hiding his concern as he wrapped his arm around Caroline's shoulders and held her close.

* * *

 _Caroline couldn't spend another moment sobbing over her dad's body. She swallowed down the pain of her fathers choice, his choice to die rather than life forever with her had devastated her. She had loved her dad, and they had been so close, despite what he had done to her, that she felt utterly broken._

 _She had to get out of the depressive atmosphere of her house. She grabbed her jacket, and flew out the door and vamped sped to the woods._

 _She looked for bunnies, not particularly hungry but she needed something to do to stop her thinking of her father. The more she looked for them, there appeared to be none around her, but that might have to do with the tears streaming down her face and the sobs escaping her throat._

" _You'll never catch a rabbit like that. You are too upset." Stefan's voice came from nowhere, he was leaning casually against a tree, his eyes full of concern._

 _Caroline didn't even think twice, as she flew into Stefan's arms and buried her face in his neck as she sobbed her heart out. She explained to him what had happened, that her father would rather die than live forever with her._

 _Stefan didn't say a word, just held Caroline as tight as he could, trying to absorb some of her heartache. She didn't deserve to go through all this pain, she was a good person and deserved nothing but happiness, not all this pain and death._

 _Caroline just continued to cry in the solace of her best friend. He had appeared just when she needed him most._

* * *

Tyler locked his jaw, and looked away. Stefan had been there for Caroline every time she needed someone and she had never once told him. Jealousy flared in his veins, and without another word he just left, not wanting to continue to see the bond between them once again. A bond that was stronger than he ever realised, and he didn't know how to deal with it. It was bad enough when Klaus was around, always having to watch him flirting with his girlfriend and the even more painful fact of her flirting back, even though it was usually to distract Klaus, it still bugged him. And now Stefan, a person that he could not compete with because Caroline had shown him time and again that she trusted him more than she would ever trust him. Their relationship was on borrowed time and he knew they were reaching their end.

"Tyler!" Caroline called after Tyler's retreating form, hurt that he would just walk away without saying anything to her.

Stefan kept hold of her hand and pulled her back to him, "Just leave him." He ran his hand up her arm, "I don't want him anywhere near you when he's full of anger like that."

"Isn't that always?" Caroline blew out an annoyed breath.

Stefan held her hand and whispered, "I just want you to be safe."

Caroline smiled, and wrapped her arms around Stefan, "I know. It's what I love most about us, we are always there for each other."

Stefan just nodded, nuzzling his nose against her hair, breathing her in. His request wasn't quite as selfless as she thought. He didn't want Tyler around her because he posed a threat to one of the best things in his life, and because his time without amnesia had awoken feelings in him he had been burying for a long time.

Until he was sure Caroline felt something for him too – sometimes he thought she did, other times he was sure it was just friendship – he would continue to be there for unconditionally, and when her relationship with Tyler finally imploded – the writing was already on the walls for them – he would continue to support her and gradually show her just how much he had come to care for her.

After all, he was a patient guy.

THE END

AN – That totally turned into something I wasn't expecting and has only the vaguest leaning toward the prompt but, the muse writes what the muse wants to. I hope you all enjoyed it.


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